Say No To Ibanez
The rumors of Raul Ibanez coming to Queens continue to abound.
Let’s get one thing crystal clear:
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For those who are more literary than visionary, Raul Ibanez is Shawn Green. In other words, a guy who once was a strong all-around player with a slugging lefthanded bat, who has declined drastically in all phases of the game in the past few years due to age. Bat speed – gone. Power – gone. Fielding ability – gone. Baserunning – gone. Yet the Mariners want two prospects for Ibanez, and are supposedly holding out for Jonathan Niese. My answer to the Ms is “NFW”.
Don’t get me wrong — I was a HUGE Shawn Green fan, and enjoyed every moment he played in the orange and blue. But his skills were diminished, and he was nowhere near the player he was in his glory days — that’s why the Mets were able to snatch him away from Arizona for suspect Evan MacLane.
Similarly, if the Mariners ask for something reasonable in return for Raul — say, Adam Bostick or Tobi Stoner — then OK, do the dea. If not, hang up the phone and call Shawn Green instead. He’s the same player, and will come much more cheaply.
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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Great post.
So true.
Yeah, I agree as well. Ibanez will probably be available in a post-non-waiver deadline deal anyway, and if the Mets still need an OF by mid-August they can call Seattle again and ask them to be a little more reasonable in their negotiations.
Agreed on waiting till August on Ibanez. There is baloney about the Ms wanting to get players equal to two #1 picks, because he’ll be a Type A free agent, but the truth is, few if any teams will want to sign him as a Type A guy, but rather wait to see if the Ms refuse to offer arbitration.
With Ibanez making $5.5M this year, and guaranteed to make at least that through the arbitration process, he’d likely accept the offer from the Mariners. I’d be really surprised if another team was willing to give him more than $4M, much less $6M, out on the free market at this stage of his career. Granted, the ’08-’09 FA class is a little light on quality, but Ibanez is not worth $6M+ AND two #1s to any team.